Houzz Tour: A New Build Home That Reimagines the Victorian Terrace
Moving the Victorian terrace on, this clever home is designed around split levels, creating connected spaces with abundant height and light
This recently built three-bedroom house in south London is, in many ways, reinventing the contemporary domestic space. ‘It’s a mid point between the Victorian terraced house everyone loves and the modernist, architect-designed home,’ says Matthew Wood, the architect behind it. Rather than featuring acres of open-plan space, the house offers volume and a flowing layout, consisting of a winding sequence of connected areas linked by a dogleg staircase. Cleverly, this removes the need for corridors and hallways. ‘There is no dead space,’ says Matthew.
One of three homes on this site, all created by Matthew with developer and architect Roger Zogolovitch of Solidspace, the house design has proved hugely popular. ‘It’s contemporary and clever without being a big statement,’ says Matthew. ‘People might think they want to live in a huge modernist white box that’s completely open plan, but a house like that says quite a lot about you, and actually lots of us would not be comfortable with that. We prefer something like this!’
One of three homes on this site, all created by Matthew with developer and architect Roger Zogolovitch of Solidspace, the house design has proved hugely popular. ‘It’s contemporary and clever without being a big statement,’ says Matthew. ‘People might think they want to live in a huge modernist white box that’s completely open plan, but a house like that says quite a lot about you, and actually lots of us would not be comfortable with that. We prefer something like this!’
The house has a split-section design, with three floors at the back and two at the front. There’s a kitchen and double-height dining area on the ground floor, with a sitting room above and a study balcony up from that. All these living areas are visible and each borrows light from the other.
The developer, Roger Zogolovitch of Solidspace, has been working on the concept of the split section home for some time. ‘You go up half a level so you don’t need to turn back on yourself like you do in a traditional home,’ explains Matthew. ‘So there’s no need for landings. Each floor takes you from one room to another. There’s no wasted space.’
See why it’s a great idea to use an architect, even on smaller projects
See why it’s a great idea to use an architect, even on smaller projects
The split section design creates flowing connections between the different levels. ‘There’s a visual but also a volumetric connection to the rooms above and below,’ says Matthew. ‘They are all separate spaces, though, rather than a single, open-plan area, which it can be hard to know what to do with.’
Ethel black pendant light, One Foot Taller.
Ethel black pendant light, One Foot Taller.
‘The house has a feeling of volume and this increases the sense of space,’ continues Matthew. ‘People often only factor in floor space, but volume is relevant as well. Higher ceilings make rooms feel bigger.’
The stairs are a central feature in the house, as they run through its heart. ‘There’s nothing flash about them,’ says Matthew. ‘We didn’t use clever materials. They are simply traditional timber stairs, as cheap as chips!’
Oak stairs and flooring, Ted Todd. Grey sofa, Do South Shop.
Oak stairs and flooring, Ted Todd. Grey sofa, Do South Shop.
Matthew kept the staircase balustrades exposed for a rationalised, clean effect. ‘It makes them look more interesting and exaggerates the vertical aspect – the sense of up and down and the way the stairs go all through the house.’ The balustrades also provide a screening effect, in the way a corridor would offer privacy.
Rabbit cushion, Thornback & Peel.
Rabbit cushion, Thornback & Peel.
The dining space has access on two sides to the garden, with a double-height space at the far end that communicates with the living room above.
The combination of exposed brick and white walls gives the house a softly midcentury feel. Grey slate flooring runs throughout the ground floor, linking the kitchen and dining space.
Nero Riven slate floor tiles, Mandarin Stone. Dining table, Unto This Last. DSW chairs, Eames for Vitra.
The combination of exposed brick and white walls gives the house a softly midcentury feel. Grey slate flooring runs throughout the ground floor, linking the kitchen and dining space.
Nero Riven slate floor tiles, Mandarin Stone. Dining table, Unto This Last. DSW chairs, Eames for Vitra.
Three houses were built on a site occupied by garages, down a narrow lane. ‘The planners were very particular about what we could build here,’ says Matthew. ‘The houses had to have proper gardens and off-street parking, because it’s a suburban area.’
They also had to tie in with the local, traditional vernacular. ‘They had to have bricks and pitched roofs,’ says Matthew.
They also had to tie in with the local, traditional vernacular. ‘They had to have bricks and pitched roofs,’ says Matthew.
The developer, Solidspace, had very modernist ideas that were at odds with the planners’ more traditional requests, but when Matthew came on board, his approach was simply to embrace what the planners wanted.
‘We said, OK, it’s fine. We will embrace these planning restrictions,’ he said. ‘We will use traditional materials such as brick and timber, and then add in a few quirky things to satisfy our more design-led aspirations!’
‘We said, OK, it’s fine. We will embrace these planning restrictions,’ he said. ‘We will use traditional materials such as brick and timber, and then add in a few quirky things to satisfy our more design-led aspirations!’
One design-led tweak that Matthew was able to make was to use thin bricks. ‘They are 50mm rather than the conventional 65mm,’ he says. ‘They bring a subtle elegance and make the exterior and the brick walls in the interior look a bit more sharp than if we’d used traditional bricks.’
Matthew designed a built-in bookcase to line one wall in the dining space. ‘We were going to have a piece of glass there, but felt that would be a bit too bling and not very homey,’ he says. ‘Then we thought, we could just build a wall. So that’s essentially what we did, although we added shelving on the dining room side.’
This design also creates a simple wall on the upper, living room side, so the owners can fit a sofa against it. ‘One of the downsides of having no corridors is not having very many walls to put things against,’ adds Matthew. ‘This was a solution and it makes the living room work.’
This design also creates a simple wall on the upper, living room side, so the owners can fit a sofa against it. ‘One of the downsides of having no corridors is not having very many walls to put things against,’ adds Matthew. ‘This was a solution and it makes the living room work.’
A simple, sleek white kitchen is fitted in an L-shaped configuration off the dining space. It contains both wall and floor cabinets, providing the abundant storage that’s in demand in contemporary homes. The back-painted glass splashback finishes the crisp, clean look.
Kitchen cabinets, Commodore Kitchens. Nero Assoluto granite worktop, OMG.
Kitchen cabinets, Commodore Kitchens. Nero Assoluto granite worktop, OMG.
The study balcony is flooded with light from the double-height space it overlooks, but feels anchored by the exposed brick wall. ‘Once we embraced the idea of a brick exterior, we felt it was important to be as honest as possible about the construction inside,’ says Matthew. ‘The house has a brick and block wall around the outside. The floors then sit into one major central structural element, which is the load-bearing wall in the middle. Any load-bearing wall is made of brick, so why not expose it and be honest about it?’
Do you find bare bricks in interiors pleasing? Check out these ways to bring out their beauty
Do you find bare bricks in interiors pleasing? Check out these ways to bring out their beauty
The bedrooms are simply designed with white walls and wooden flooring for a light, uncluttered feel. Each of the three bedrooms sits on a different level.
Pear on stone linen cushion, Thornback & Peel.
Explore how to make a classic white scheme work in your home
Pear on stone linen cushion, Thornback & Peel.
Explore how to make a classic white scheme work in your home
This bedrooms flows off the study balcony space, while the other double bedroom is situated above the living area. The third bedroom is in the loft space at the top of the house.
The loft bedroom is spacious and light, thanks to two skylights (seen here) and a large dormer window.
‘We were obliged by the planners to design the house with a pitched roof,’ says Matthew. ‘But one advantage is that we could use the eaves for storage.’
This bedroom is flexible, with a platform under the roof offering various possibilities. ‘You could box it in and make it into storage, or have it as a play area for kids, or even as a bed space,’ says Matthew.
Sea bream cushions, Thornback & Peel.
This bedroom is flexible, with a platform under the roof offering various possibilities. ‘You could box it in and make it into storage, or have it as a play area for kids, or even as a bed space,’ says Matthew.
Sea bream cushions, Thornback & Peel.
Storage has been designed in throughout the house, and the loft bedroom is no exception, with huge cupboards tucked under the pitched roof. There’s an en suite, too, just seen opening off to the left.
Clean, white and simple, the three bathrooms slot beautifully into the house’s unfussy, softly contemporary feel.
Sanitaryware and vanity unit, Duravit. Bath, Bette. Brassware, Grohe.
Sanitaryware and vanity unit, Duravit. Bath, Bette. Brassware, Grohe.
Although conventional brickwork may not have been Matthew’s first choice for the exterior, it’s proved very popular. ‘That was one of the best bits of feedback we had about all three houses that we built on this site,’ he says. ‘People were very comfortable with the outsides. We had thought the brickwork was a bit too trad – we’re all trying to be statement architects! But for the people buying the houses it made them feel comfortable. It’s not twee, but it is familiar.’
TELL US…
Do you like this innovative new build? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
Do you like this innovative new build? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
Who lives here A professional couple
Location Upper Norwood, south London
Property A detached new-build house completed in 2013
Size 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms
Architect Matthew Wood of MW Architects